In the field of clinical analyzers, it is not uncommon for there to be provided a plurality of incubators within the confines of a specific mainframe. Usually this is done to either enhance throughput or to allow each incubator to be dedicated to a particular type of assay, e.g., potentiometric instead of colorimetric. Examples are shown in, e.g., U.S. Pat. No. 4,296,069.
Such analyzers typically position the plural incubators side-by-side. Although this has worked well in most instances, it does tend to require a machine footprint of substantial area, since the path of the test element, for example, a slide element, is more or less two-dimensional, that is, in the horizontal plane.
Therefore, prior to this invention there has been a need to provide for an analyzer having plural incubators but without requiring such a substantial footprint or horizontal lay-out.